Reproducing apparatus and retractable feeding apparatus thereof

ABSTRACT

A reproducing apparatus and a retractable feeding apparatus thereof. The reproducing apparatus comprises a body and a retractable feeding apparatus. The body comprises a feeding portion and a feeding opening formed on the feeding portion. The retractable feeding apparatus has a tray movable between a retracted position and a stretched position. The tray includes a rotation shaft and a supporting surface. When the tray is disposed in the retracted position, the tray is received in the feeding portion, and the supporting surface faces the feeding portion. When the tray is disposed in the stretch position, the tray is rotatable between a retracted angle and a feeding angle by the rotation shaft, and the supporting surface aligns to a feeding opening in the feeding angle.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a feeding apparatus for a print media, and particularly to a retractable feeding apparatus of a reproducing apparatus.

In recent years, a variety of different reproducing apparatuss are widely used, such as scanners, printers, fax machines and copiers. Typically, performance is affected by the speed with which the paper sheets are input and separated.

In the aforementioned machine, stacked print media sheets are individually transported by a feeding apparatus for the print media thereof. The print media sheets may be paper sheets, transparencies, film or envelopes. Generally, the print media sheets are stacked in place on the reproducing apparatus. The feeding apparatus feeds the top sheet from the stack into the reproducing apparatus, and the reproducing apparatus executes its function.

The feeding apparatus can be a feeding device with a rotation shaft rotatably disposed in a predetermined angle according to the stacked print media sheets. The feeding apparatus, however, extrudes at a side of the reproducing apparatus and occupies a certain volume. When the reproducing apparatus is placed near a wall, for example, the print media feeding apparatus may butt in the wall. Thus, the reproducing apparatus can not stay close to the wall.

Alternatively, the print media feeding apparatus can be a detachable feeding apparatus. In this case, however, the detached feeding apparatus is separate from the reproducing apparatus, and may be lost without proper storage.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention discloses a reproducing apparatus, which comprises a body and a retractable feeding apparatus. The body comprises a feeding portion and a feeding opening formed on the feeding portion. The retractable feeding apparatus, which is disposed on the feeding portion, comprises a tray movable between a retracted position and a stretched position. The tray comprises a rotation shaft and a supporting surface. When the tray is disposed in the retracted position, the tray is received in the feeding portion, and the supporting surface faces the feeding portion. When the tray is disposed in the stretch position, the tray is rotatable between a retracted angle and a feeding angle by the rotation shaft, and the supporting surface aligns to the feeding opening in the feeding angle.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the feeding portion can be perpendicular to a disposing surface of the body, and the body can comprise a receiving portion on the feeding portion. When the tray is disposed in the retracted position, the tray is received in the receiving portion.

Further, another embodiment of the invention discloses a retractable feeding apparatus of a reproducing apparatus, which comprises a receiving portion on the reproducing apparatus and a tray movable between a retracted position and a stretched position in relation to the receiving portion. The tray comprises a rotation shaft and a supporting surface. When the tray is disposed in the retracted position, the tray is received in the feeding portion, and the supporting surface faces the feeding portion. When the tray is disposed in the stretch position, the tray is rotatable between a retracted angle and a feeding angle by the rotation shaft, and the supporting surface aligns to a feeding opening in the feeding angle.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the tray can be disposed to cover the feeding opening when the tray is disposed in the retracted position. Further, the receiving portion can comprise a sliding notch, and the tray can be movable between the retracted position and the stretched position along the sliding notch.

Further, the tray can comprise a primary tray and a sub tray movable between a retracted tray position and a stretched tray position on the primary tray. The sub tray can be completely retracted on the primary tray when the sub tray is disposed in the retracted tray position. The primary tray can comprise a sliding rail, and the sub tray can move on the sliding rail between the retracted tray position and the stretched tray position.

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of a reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the retractable feeding apparatus in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of the tray in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is a schematic view of the tray in FIG. 3A, in which the sub tray is received in the primary tray;

FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the retractable print media feeding apparatus in FIG. 2 in which the tray is retracted;

FIG. 4B is a schematic view of the retractable print media feeding apparatus in FIG. 2 in which the tray is opened and retracted; and

FIG. 4C is a schematic view of the retractable print media feeding apparatus in FIG. 2 in which the tray is fully opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention discloses a reproducing apparatus and a retractable feeding apparatus thereof, which can be used for feeding print media. An embodiment of a reproducing apparatus is described hereinafter in detail with respect to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the reproducing apparatus 10. The reproducing apparatus 10 comprises a body 110 and a retractable feeding apparatus 150. The body 110 comprises a feeding portion 112 and a disposing surface 116. The feeding portion 112 is perpendicular to a disposing surface 116 such that, when the retractable feeding apparatus 150 is retracted, the feeding portion 112 can stay close to the wall. Referring to FIG. 2, a receiving portion 120 and a feeding opening 114 are formed on the feeding portion 112. The retractable feeding apparatus 150 is also disposed on the feeding portion 112 and comprises a tray 160. When the tray 160 is received in the feeding portion 112, the tray 160 and the feeding portion 112 form a flat surface. The receiving portion 120 comprises sliding notches 122 on both sides thereof such that the tray 160 can be movable along the sliding notches 122.

An embodiment of the tray 160 can be described with respect to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. The tray 160 comprises a primary tray 162 and a sub tray 164, and a rotation shaft 166 is provided to connect the primary tray 162 and the sub tray 164. The sub tray 164 is movable between a retracted tray position and a stretched tray position on the primary tray 162. When the sub tray 164 is disposed in the stretched tray position as shown in FIG. 3A, the surfaces of the primary tray 162 and the sub tray 164 form a supporting surface to support the print media. When the sub tray 164 is disposed in the retracted tray position as shown in FIG. 3B, the sub tray 164 can be completely retracted on the primary tray 162 and can be received in the receiving portion 120 of the body 110. The primary tray 162 can comprise sliding rails 168 on the sides thereof, and the sub tray 164 can move on the sliding rails 168 in relation to the primary tray 162 between the retracted tray position and the stretched tray position.

The tray 160 and the receiving portion 120 can be described with respect to FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C. The tray 160 is movable between a retracted position and a stretched position in relation to the body 110. When the tray 160 is disposed in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 4A, the tray 160 is received in the receiving portion 120 completely, and the supporting surface faces the feeding portion 112. In this case, the feeding portion 112 and the tray 160 form a flat surface. When the tray 160 is pulled upward and moves to the stretched position as shown in FIG. 4B, the tray 160 is positioned in a retracted angle and can be pushed downward to the retracted position in FIG. 4A. Further, when the tray 160 is disposed in the stretch position, the tray 160 can be rotated to a feeding angle by the rotation shaft 166. In this case, the supporting surface aligns to the feeding opening 114 on the feeding portion 112 in the feeding angle such that the print media disposed on the supporting surface can be fed in the feeding opening 114.

When the reproducing apparatus is not in operation, the tray 160 of the retractable feeding apparatus 150 can be retracted to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 4A. Thus, the tray 160 is received in the receiving portion 120, and the feeding portion 112 and the tray 160 form a vertical flat surface, and the feeding portion 112 can stay close to the wall, reducing the volume occupied by the reproducing apparatus. When the reproducing apparatus is in operation, the tray 160 can be moved to the stretched position in the retracted angle as shown in FIG. 4B. Further, the tray 160 can be rotated to the feeding angle as shown in FIG. 4C. When the tray 160 comprise the primary tray 162 and the sub tray 164 as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the sub tray 164 can be stretched from the primary tray 162 to form the supporting surface.

The retractable feeding apparatus in the above-mentioned embodiment can be retracted and received in the receiving portion and does not extrude at the feeding portion of the reproducing apparatus. Thus, the reproducing apparatus can stay close to the wall. Further, there is no requirement for the retractable feeding apparatus to be detachable.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. 

1. A reproducing apparatus, comprising: a body comprising a feeding portion; and a retractable feeding mechanism disposed on the feeding portion, the retractable feeding mechanism comprising a tray movable between a retracted position and a stretched position, the tray comprising a rotation shaft; wherein, when the tray is disposed in the retracted position, the tray is received in the feeding portion so that the tray and the feeding portion form a flat surface; when the tray is disposed in the stretch position, the tray is rotatable between a retracted angle and a feeding angle by the rotation shaft.
 2. The reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feeding portion is perpendicular to a disposing surface of the body.
 3. The reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feeding portion comprises a feeding opening, the tray covers the feeding opening when the tray is disposed in the retracted position.
 4. The reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feeding portion comprises a receiving portion, when the tray is disposed in the retracted position, the tray is received in the receiving portion.
 5. The reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the receiving portion comprises a sliding notch, and the tray is movable between the retracted position and the stretched position along the sliding notch.
 6. The reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tray comprises: a primary tray; and a sub tray movable between a retracted tray position and a stretched tray position relative to the primary tray.
 7. The reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sub tray is completely received in the primary tray when the sub tray is disposed in the retracted tray position.
 8. The reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the primary tray comprises a sliding rail, and the sub tray is movable on the sliding rail between the retracted tray position and the stretched tray position.
 9. A retractable feeding apparatus used for a reproducing apparatus with a receiving portion thereon, the feeding apparatus comprising: a tray movable between a retracted position and a stretched position in relation to the receiving portion, the tray comprising a rotation shaft; wherein, when the tray is disposed in the retracted position, the tray is received in the receiving portion; when the tray is disposed in the stretch position, the tray is rotatable between a retracted angle and a feeding angle by the rotation shaft.
 10. The retractable feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the tray covers the receiving portion when the tray is disposed in the retracted position.
 11. The retractable feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the receiving portion comprises a sliding notch, and the tray is movable between the retracted position and the stretched position along the sliding notch.
 12. The retractable feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the tray comprises: a primary tray; and a sub tray movable between a retracted tray position and a stretched tray position on the primary tray.
 13. The retractable feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sub tray is completely retracted on the primary tray when the sub tray is disposed in the retracted tray position.
 14. The retractable feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the primary tray comprises a sliding rail, and the sub tray moves on the sliding rail between the retracted tray position and the stretched tray position. 